Marvel Villain Jumps to DC to Play Iconic Batman Foe

The CW’s Batwoman will be taking on an iconic DC Comics villain in season 3, and she’s going to be played by a former Marvel actress to boot. Fan-favorite Poison Ivy will feature in the upcoming season, and actress Bridget Regan will be taking on the role of antagonist opposite Javicia Leslie’s Ryan Wilder, a.k.a. Batwoman. Poison Ivy has taken on many forms over the years, from Uma Thurman‘s campy take in Batman & Robin and Lake Bell in HBO Max’s Harley Quinn. From the sound of things, The CW will be taking a unique path.

“Poison Ivy, a.k.a Pamela Isley, is as former botany student of Gotham University described as a passionate, brilliant scientist with a mind for changing the world for the better,” reads the network’s description. “But her plans shifted when she was experimented on by a colleague, injected with various plant toxins which turned her into the infamous Batman villain Poison Ivy. With a formidable power coursing through her veins, Pamela used her powers to do what she thought was right, even if Batman and those closest to her disagreed with her dangerous methods. Now effectively wiped off the board for years, Batwoman and the Bat Team must prepare themselves for Poison Ivy to return with a vengeance.”

Regan, best known for playing villains in Marvel’s Agent Carter and Jane the Virgin, expressed her excitement on Twitter after the casting news was officially announced. “I’m genuinely stoked,” she tweeted alongside two plane emojis and two bat emojis. Batwoman will join DC’s Legends of Tomorrow on Wednesday nights in the fall at 9:00 p.m. ET starting on October 13.

Leslie took on the cowl as the show’s lead at the start of season two after Ruby Rose unexpectedly stepped down. “We worked really hard to come back from what I think people thought would break us,” she told ET. “I’m really proud of our team for making magic. ‘Cause to me, I’ve watched the first two episodes and I really love them.”